1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing lures, and more particularly to a new and improved fishing lure and trolling flasher that induces movements and visual effects to attract fish to a fishing line.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The field of fishing lures is crowded with countless creative solutions to the numerous problems anglers have encountered in the field. The general philosophy underlying lure design is to provide a device that closely mimics the most attractive prey for the sought-after predatory species of fish. To that end, lures have been designed to mimic both the movements and the appearance of bait fish. In some instances, successful lures, while not imitating food in the field, have mysteriously attracted fish for reasons that cannot be ascertained and evidently have nothing to do with technology imitating nature. One such lure is the spinning lure, of which there are countless iterations. Illustrative of the spinning lures is U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,961 to Milawski , et al, issued Aug. 29, 2000. This patent discloses a twisted, spinning fishing lure and counterweight that comprises a proximal end, a distal end, a counterbalance arm, and a rotatable helical body element having a lumen passing entirely through the body and a wire extending through the lumen. The wire includes a proximal portion having a eyelet for attaching to a fishing line and a counterbalance arm extending distally from the eyelet. Bearings reduce rotational forces from being transmitted from the rotatable helical body element to the wire extending through the body lumen. Any rotation forces transmitted to the wire are purportedly opposed by the counterbalance arm. The design provides for a pure spinning motion of the helical spinner body when dragged underwater.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,450 to Studanski, issued Sep. 5, 2000, discloses a zigzag aquatic device tethered by a single line that provides an accentuated zigzag or oscillating movement when the device has a relative speed with respect to water.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,957 to Bocach, issued Sep. 12, 2000, teaches a fishing lure including a body member having a wing member coupled to the body member with one of the ends of the wing member outwardly extending from one of the sides of the body member and the other end of the wing member outwardly extending from the other side of the body member. The second end of an elongate front flexible member is coupled to the front of the body member while the second end of an elongate rear member is detachably attached to the back of the body member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,982 to Halterman, Jr. Jun. 12, 2001, discloses a spinner for spinning lures formed to resemble a small bait fish which rotates in moving air or water as a result of action against the broad surfaces of the tail fin plates and the internal broad surfaces of the spinner bodies.
Conspicuously missing from the prior art, including those patents cited above, are any fishing lures that induce an asymmetrical spinning motion having a differential range of rotation from one end of the lure to the other. The present inventor has compelling data that demonstrate the effectiveness of this fundamental design principle when the lure is used with appropriate and complementary line assemblies.
The fishing lure and trolling flasher of the present invention has a geometry that produces a differential radius of rotation in the front and back ends during trolling at any speeds. The lure comprises a front end, a back end, a top side, a bottom side, and a beveled edge bordering the entire lure that tapers downwardly from the top to the bottom side and from the front to the back end. A front stabilizing fin is substantially parallel with the longest dimension (longitudinal axis) of the lure and has an eyelet for connection to the end of a fishing line having a spinner. A rear fin is set diagonally at substantially a 35 degree angle from the longitudinal axis. The rear fin includes at least one eyelet that may be fastened to a tail leader. The fin design induces a infundibular rotational motion and whipping effect of the lure even at slow trolling speeds. Water distortion induced by the lure motion produces sounds particularly attractive to predatory fish.
Positioning multiple rear end eyelets offers the fisherman distinct actions or variations on the lure motion to give the lure versatility for use when fishing for multiple species of fish.
The lure is preferably fabricated from a hard plastic or polymeric material, more preferably from a transparent or semi-transparent material. A holographic tape may be applied to one or more of the top and bottom surfaces or positioned between layers of a laminated lure body.